“She’s my inspiration” – Emotional Jackie Buntan says Janet Todd has played an influential role in her career since day one

For ex-ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title contender Jackie Buntan, ONE Fight Night 20 was a day of mixed emotions.

While the talented Filipino-American striker would remember the March 8 bill as a night she picked up a sixth promotional win in an epic brawl against Italian dynamo Martine Michieletto, it also marked a day when her Boxing Works teammate Janet Todd called it time on her illustrious career.

Having worked alongside the longtime atomweight kickboxing queen from the very first day she stepped foot at the gym, Jackie Buntan admits it was tough to come to terms with the news about ‘JT’s’ retirement.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA, the 26-year-old said:

“I'm one to kind of not show my emotions as much, but it's hard to do it with this one just because she's been such an important person in my career, not just my professional career, my Muay Thai career, you know.

“I started training with her when I was a kid, and she’s my inspiration as to believing and knowing I could take it to this level. I'm excited, I'm sad, it's a heartfelt moment right now.”

See the interview below:

Though Todd did not enjoy a perfect night to step away from the limelight, in hindsight, her title loss to Phetjeeja signifies a brilliant passing of the torch moment between two highly skilled competitors from different generations.

For Buntan, her victory over Michieletto upped her current win streak to three in a row following victories over Diandra Martin and Amber Kitchen over the past 15 months.

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‘JT’ impressed by Jackie Buntan’s career trajectory: “She’s been excelling”

While there has been no official word on what is to come next for Janet Todd, it’s safe to say that the Boxing Works product will continue honing her craft alongside strawweight striking sensation Jackie Buntan.

After all, the 38-year-old veteran has been an inspiration and mentor to all her teammates, including the Filipino-American striker, at the California-based gym.

However, in a past interview with ONE Championship, Todd did have special praise for Buntan, highlighting what makes Jackie Buntan stand out among her peers at Boxing Works.

‘JT’ said:

“Jackie continues to impress me with how much she improves with every fight. It seems like she continually gets stronger, has even better vision than she had before, and better timing. I think she’s been excelling in every possible way, and it’s evident in her fights.”

North American fans can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 20 card via replay on Amazon Prime Video.